Mohammed Barakat (footballer)
.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 June 1984[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine | ||
| Date of death | 11 March 2024 (aged 39) | ||
| Place of death | Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Shabab Khan Younis | |||
| Al Sadaqa | |||
| Ittihad Khanyounis | |||
| Al Wehdat | |||
| 2016–2019 | Al Shoalah | ||
| –2023 | Ahly Gaza | ||
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Palestine | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mohammed Barakat (Arabic: محمد بركات; 22 June 1984 – 11 March 2024)[2] was a Palestinian footballer who played as a forward. Nicknamed "the Lion" and "the Legend of Khan Younis", Barakat was the first centurion player in Palestinian football history, having scored 114 goals for Khan Younis Youth Club (Shabab Khan Younis).[2][3][4] Prior to his death, the last club he played for was Ahly Gaza in the Gaza Strip Premier League. The breakout of Israel-Hamas war and the subsequent airstrikes targeting football stadia in the Gaza Strip, including Ahly Gaza's home the Palestine Stadium, effectively ended the League in 2023.[5]
International career
[edit]Barakat made his debut for the Palestine national team on 2 March 2013 in a 1–0 victory against Bangladesh at the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification.[6] He also played in a 9–0 victory against Northern Mariana Islands in the same tournament two days later.[7] However, he was not selected to play in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.
His last appearance for the national team came in a 2–0 friendly defeat against Qatar on 17 April 2013.[8]
Death
[edit]Barakat was killed by the Israel Defence Force during an airstrike on 11 March 2024, amid the Siege of Khan Yunis. He was 39. His remains were found in his destroyed home in Khan Yunis.[2][3][4][9]
References
[edit]
- ^ "Palestine - Mohammed Barakat". Soccerway. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Palestine footballer Barakat killed in Israel's war on Gaza". Al Jazeera. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Remembering Palestinian football legend Mohammed Barakat". TRT World. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b "محمد بركات... نجم جديد يختتم مسيرته الكروية ويرتقي شهيداً" (in Arabic). Palestinian Football Association. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Abed, Abubaker (18 January 2024). "Gaza stadiums that were once home to football fans, now home to the displaced". New Arab. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Palestine vs. Bangladesh 1-0". Soccerway. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palestine 0-9". Soccerway. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Qatar vs. Palestine 2-0". Soccerway. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "'Legend of Khan Yunis' – Israel Kills Top Gaza, Arab Footballer". The Palestine Chronicle. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
